by Alison Brown
Luge made its debut at the Olympics at Innsbruck 1964 with three events: women’s singles, men’s singles, and men’s doubles. Team relay was added for Sochi 2014. Women’s doubles luge though? That took a little bit longer.
photographer: FIL / Michael Kristen // 01.12.2024 / 1. FIL Eberspächer Luge Mixed Event, Lillehammer (NOR), Norway, double seated, picture: Chevonne Chelsea Forgan, Sophia Kirkby (USA)
Open But Not Really
Technically, prior to Milano-Cortina 2026, doubles luge was an “open” event, meaning both men and women could participate on equal footing, like they do in equestrian for example. In reality, the International Luge Federation did not designate doubles as a men’s only event because officials could not imagine that women might participate. National teams followed suit, only developing men’s teams for decades. No woman even competed in open doubles at an international event.
Remember Olympic Agenda 2020?
Back in 2014, the IOC put together a master plan for the Olympics moving forward. Along with dozens of other points and goals, the plan promoted gender parity. The Summer Olympics reached 50/50 male-female participation ratio in Paris 2024. Despite the plan also highlighting the importance of the independence of international federations, the FIL saw the writing on the wall: having an event only for men was not going to work. In the 2010s, the FIL began putting money, time, and attention into developing women’s double luge.
Can Two Women Slide Together?
Of course there was opposition. Skeptics worried that quota spots would be taken from the men’s competition (they weren’t) or women’s doubles would not be up to world class standards (it is). Unlike in the push to include women’s ski jump in the Winter Olympics, thankfully no one talked about women’s internal organs flying all over the track. No one worried about the floating uterus, at least not directly. FIL saw a solution to a looming problem: the IOC wants equity; we have a men’s only event. We add a women’s event, problem solved.
Women’s Double Hits the Track
Women’s doubles luge debuted at the Youth Olympic Games in 2020 and joined the World Cup circuit for the 2021-22 season. In 2022, women’s doubles became an official part of the Olympics program for 2026. Not everything is fair in luge land though. The men’s double competition includes 17 teams; the women only get 11 quota spots. According to the FIL, this distribution lines up with the number of teams on the world cup circuit; in other words the same percentage of men’s teams and women’s teams that compete throughout the season will make it to the Olympics.
This may be the least controversial gender addition in Olympic history!
Another Medal for Germany?
Germany has dominated luge throughout the sport’s Olympics history. Of the 48 medals available in each event, Germany in its various incarnations (GER, GDR, FRG, EUA) has won 24 in doubles, 25 medals in men’s singles, and 32 in women’s singles. On the lists of top ten medals winner in luge for men and women, each list includes nine Germans. Germany has won all three gold medals in the team relay.
But will Germany capture the first women’s doubles Olympic gold?
Maybe not, but do expect to see a German team on the podium. Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal of Germany won the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, finishing second last year. They were beaten by the Austrian pair Selina Egle and Lara Kipp, who claimed the title in 2024 and 2025. Don’t forget about the host country; Italians Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer currently lead the world cup standings. Then there is our very own Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby who claimed bronze at the world championships in 2022 and 2024.
Definitely Another Medal for Germany
On the other hand, don’t expect anyone to beat Germany in the team relay. Even though the format of the race will change for 2026 (a women’s doubles team will now race with a women’s single, men’s single and men’s double), Germany has never lost this race at the Olympics or the World Championships.